In the weeks leading up to the draft, Perfect Game will be providing a detailed overview of each state in the U.S., including the District of Columbia, as well as Canada and Puerto Rico. These overviews will list the state's strengths, weaknesses and the players with the best tools, as well as providing scouting reports on all Group 1 and 2 players as ranked in Perfect Game's state-by-state scouting lists. Please visit this page for all of the links to Perfect Game's 2013 Draft Preview content.

Florida
State-by-State List
Florida
scouts have high hopes for their state's crop every year, and with
good reason, as the state can produce so many players that in some
springs the area scouts are just scrambling to get everyone seen and
evaluated. But if there was any word that could describe the
collective scout's feeling towards the events of this spring, it
would 'disappointing.'
The
news started early when Florida right handed pitcher and 2009 PG
All-American Karsten Whitson, thought to be a potential No. 1 overall
pick for the 2013 draft two years ago, was lost for the spring with
shoulder surgery. His teammate, Jonathon Crawford, a potential top
five overall pick, mysteriously lost his dynamic stuff for much of
the spring. A number of acclaimed high school bats suddenly went
quiet, and no one really jumped out in the usually rich junior
college ranks. One scout noted that Florida Gulf Coast has more
projected top 10 draft picks than the Big Three (Florida, Florida
State and Miami) combined.
Of
course, Florida will still have an ample representation in the top 10
rounds of the draft and beyond. Jacksonville right handed pitcher
Chris Anderson still looks like a potential top 15 pick, while high
schoolers such as catcher Chris Okey, right-hander Tyler Danish and
left-hander Sean Brady, among others, have had outstanding springs.

STRENGTH:
High school catching and power bats, college right handed pitchersWEAKNESS:
Lack of a standout/top of the 1st round prospect, underperforming high school batsOVERALL
RATING (1-to-5
scale): 3
BEST
COLLEGE TEAM: Florida
StateBEST
JUNIOR-COLLEGE TEAM: Miami
Dade CollegeBEST
HIGH SCHOOL TEAM: Venice
PROSPECT
ON THE RISE: Victor
Caratini, c-3b, Miami Dade JC. This
could have been a weekly award in the Florida prospect ranks, with a
dozen potential award winners. No player has come further during the
course of the spring than Caratini, who was undrafted out of Puerto
Rico in 2011 and did not play college baseball last spring. The
switch-hitter could even slip into the top three rounds for a team
that feels comfortable with him defensively behind the plate and
likes what they hear about his signability.
WILD
CARD: Tucker Neuhaus, ss-3b, Wharton HS, Tampa. Neuhaus
has only played in a small handful of games this spring due to a
bizarre series of illnesses and minor injuries, with the latest being
a quad problem, but he has wowed scouts in workouts with his
left-handed power potential. The problem will come with just how
many scouting directors and high level cross-checkers have seen
Neuhaus, a Louisville signee, and how secure they are in their
evaluations. For the teams that know him the best, that could
definitely mean top two round consideration.
BEST
OUT-OF-STATE PROSPECT, Florida Connection: Alex
Gonzalez, rhp, Oral Roberts (Boca Raton High School)Top
2014 Prospect: Nicholas
Gordon, ss/rhp, Olympia HS, WindemereTop
2015 Prospect: Thomas
Szapucki, lhp, Dwyer HS, West Palm Beach

GROUP
1 (rounds 1-3)1.
CHRIS ANDERSON, rhp, Jacksonville University (Jr.)Anderson
was a virtual unknown coming out of a Minnesota high school in 2010
and hardly raised his profile during his first two years at
Jacksonville. He began to attract scout’s attention last summer in
the Cape Cod League and vaulted into first round status early this
spring when his fastball was topping out at 96 mph to go with a
present plus slider. Anderson’s past few starts have been a bit
rough, taking a bit of the shine as a possible top half of the first
round candidate off, but he seems like a secure bet to be the first
Florida based player off the board. For his complete PG Draft Focus
profile, click here

This is Insider Level content. You must be a subscriber to read the rest. Want to read more???